Before the Plunge
by iwantmyburd
Summary: "On that day, when the sky feel away, our world came to an end..." What must have been on the Smash Bros. fighters' minds when it happened? A series of one-shots imagine the answers.
1. Despair? Not Today (Mewtwo and Zelda)

**Author's Note:**

 **So, one day soon after the November 2018 Smash Direct, I came across a fan comic of Red, Charizard, Ivysaur, and Squirtle in the moments before Galeem's attack hit them. It got me thinking: what might the other fighters have been doing? What was going through their minds before they were "killed?"**

 **Since my drawing skills are kind of subpar, I decided to share my interpretation here, in written format. I only have a couple of ideas for this, so if you all like it and want to see more, I'm open to suggestions. No guarantees, though!**

 **In case there was ever any question, I have no legal claim on any of the characters appearing here. Anyway, without further ado...**

He hadn't intended to read his mind. Ordinarily, he deliberately kept his telepathic power reigned in when among the other fighters. Their battles would be infinitely less interesting if he knew everything his opponents were going to do before they did it. Besides, he might have a tendency to be cynical and aloof, but by now, he had more respect for his fellow combatants than to violate the privacy of their inner thoughts without good reason.

The mysterious sword's warnings, however, were like an urgently raised voice to his mind. He couldn't _not_ listen in. He saw everything the young man saw: utter, complete destruction.

Mewtwo's gaze snapped back up to the being of light floating in the air before them, and he _shuddered_.

As the legendary Pokemon understood it, Shulk's visions often showed him imminent disasters in enough time for him to prevent them, but not this time. Mewtwo knew full well, before Shulk could even gesture for the others to _run_ , that there was nothing they could do. This thing was going to destroy the universe.

And Mewtwo, a contender for the title of most powerful Pokemon ever, was powerless to stop it, or even to escape it. They all were.

 _... So this is how it all ends,_ he thought, and he lowered his head.

In the corner of his eye, though, he saw something that made him look up again.

The Hylian princess had appeared next to him, staring fiercely at their impending doom. He could sense the magic coursing through her: the same magic wielded by the other two Zelda's he had met. He knew she was formidable in her own right, but still...

Mewtwo reached out to her with his mind, brushing against her consciousness so she could hear him in private. _It's no use,_ he told her despondently. _We're already done for._

Zelda's steely, piercing eyes turned on him. Though he kept the contact between them at a minimum, he could still feel her basic emotions at his words. There was confusion, doubt, worry... but they all gave way to her resolve, fueled by sheer defiance.

Her thoughts pressed against his in response, even as she returned her attention to the abomination in the sky: _Then I will die fighting. We've come too far to give up now._

Mewtwo blinked, taken aback. She had understood him, that much he knew: the outcome wouldn't change whether or not they fought. Then why fight? Because they had come too far not to?

... Though, it did make sense when he thought about it. His own journey here certainly hadn't been an easy one, even after coming to an understanding with the humans of his own world. He closed his eyes as he remembered how poorly he had adapted to the tournament the first time he had joined, and how, even despite that, the others had openly bemoaned his departure and pleaded for him to come back. He remembered the hero's welcome he had received on his surprise return, the collective joy and wonder at the announcement of this reunion tournament... even his own grudging satisfaction when an overjoyed Pichu had jumped on him and nuzzled him upon arrival.

 _'Life is wonderful...'_

 _'...It is what you do with the gift of life that determines who you are.'_

Mewtwo's eyes opened again. The same unyielding determination he had felt in Zelda welled up inside him, driving out this melancholy. Yes, he still believed those things. His life, though forever tainted by his madness early on, absolutely was wonderful. He had come so far, seen and done so much... What kind of being would willingly lay it all down out of hopelessness?

Not one who deserved the title of "Legendary," surely.

 _... Then I will fight at your side,_ he told Zelda, just as the attack began. Beams of light shot out from the invader, racing toward the cliff they were standing on

Propelled by their magical and telekinetic powers, princess and Pokemon shot up into the air above the other fighters, ready to counterattack.

 _It's been a pleasure, Zelda_.

 _Then_ _give it everything you have!_


	2. Dad's Devotion (Bowser and Bowser Jr)

It was a brilliant plan, really. The cliff was no longer large enough for all the fighters to stand on level ground, so some of them needed to stand on overlooking ledges. Having the high ground like this allowed for a better view of the battlefield, and being closer to the back meant the opposition had to fight its way through everyone on the frontlines first.

From here, Bowser could let the incoming army of Master Hands exhaust themselves against the others. From there, he could either swoop in out of nowhere and finish them off with the force of a freight train, or let them come to him and defeat them at his leisure.

It was just like defending his castle against Mario - such a perfect plan that the irony was completely lost on him.

 _About ten each, huh?_ he thought smugly as the hands loomed ever closer. _I've beaten Right Glove HUNDREDS of times over! This'll be a cakewalk! And once they're all dealt with, we'll take down that winged thing, too! By the time that's done, I can kidnap Peach, and everyone will be too exhausted to stop me! Heck, I might even take Daisy while I'm at it, if she's nearby! I-_

In the midst of his scheming, though, the game started to change.

Before his very eyes, the Master Hands all started to crumble away. Each left behind a strange blue light, and they all started snaking through the sky toward the floating wings.

Bowser's eyes narrowed, and steam vented from his nostrils. _Hey, what gives?! The hands never did that before!_

However, when the blue lights converged on the whatever-it-was, and they all seemed to disappear into a black hole, his indignation disappeared, too.

Never mind his own bad experience with black holes - something was _very_ wrong here.

So, the moment the black hole erupted into beams of light, Bowser lost no time. He looked down at a ledge below him where the Koopalings were lined up, raised above most of the other fighters but still below him.

"KOOPALINGS!" he bellowed at them, causing them all to jump to attention. "FALL BACK! I'll deal with this!"

"YES SIR!" they shouted in unison. The propellers of their Klown Kars buzzed as they all took off, flying up and away from the battlefield.

All except one.

Bowser Jr. sat where he was, glancing furtively back and forth between the Koopalings, his father, and the approaching attack behind him.

If Bowser's temper was like a firecracker on a good day, in that moment, it went completely volcanic. He immediately jumped down, landing between his son and the frontlines, fire spilling out of his mouth and nostrils. Junior jumped and screamed, his face white as a sheet.

 **"DANGIT** **JUNIOR,"** he roared, **"IF YOU DON'T GET LOST RIGHT THIS INSTANT,** ** _I'LL MAKE LUDWIG THE NEXT KING!_** **"**

Junior's jaw dropped open in disbelief. " _WHAT?!_ B-but dad, he's not even-!"

On second thought, Bowser was a Koopa of action. Diplomacy had never been his strong suit.

The Koopa King grabbed his son's Klown Kar in his claws, right along with its driver. With every ounce of bodily strength he could muster, he wound up and hurled them into the air toward the retreating Koopalings. He ignored the surprised scream and only watched long enough to make sure the vehicle steadied itself in midair.

Still livid, Bowser returned his attention to the battle. It wasn't _just_ that Junior had almost disobeyed a direct order from his king. The little upstart had proven himself more than capable the last time they had come to this tournament, and when they had gotten wind of an army of Master Hands approaching, Bowser had been more than happy to let him in on the action. But this wasn't as simple as an oversized boss rush. There was something bigger going on here - something _far_ worse than he'd anticipated.

And he'd be darned if he let his son stand between him and harm's way.

A flash of light below him caught Bowser's eye. The Pokemon Trainer had called out all three of his pets at once and was having them fire their strongest attacks at the incoming light beams.

 _Pathetic,_ Bowser thought, sneering at the orange dragon's flames. He jumped down beside them and let loose his own jet of fiery destruction. _I'LL show them REAL fire breath! You'd better not let this thing get you, Mustachio! We still have a score to settle, you and me!_


	3. Last Lullaby (Jigglypuff And Pichu)

She didn't know what was happening. She didn't know _why_ it was happening. After all this time, she'd started to think she would always have the Super Smash Bros, that nothing would ever happen to them. Now, it was all falling apart around her.

All around, the light was consuming the other fighters: heroes, villains, newcomers, veterans. They were all taken. The most powerful attacks, the most stalwart shields, the most skillful evasion - none of it even seemed to matter.

What chance did a little balloon Pokemon have?

Jigglypuff stood in the midst of it all, watching in horror. Friends she had just made, and those who had been there with her since the beginning, were all being swept aside like chaff. She might have the power and competence to contend with them, but she knew she had never been among the strongest of them. She was powerless to help them. She could only watch, and weep, and wait her turn.

"PICHU!"

"Jiggl-!" She shouted in surprise as she was nearly tackled to the ground by the little yellow Pokemon. She tried to push him off while she regained her balance, but quickly stopped. Pichu was clinging to her, hiding his face and sobbing hysterically. "... Puff?"

"Pichu pi-HIC-chu!" He peeked up at Jigglupuff, his eyes nearly squeezed shut as tears cascaded down his face, before burying his face in her side again. His already shaking body twitched violently with each hiccup as his cries continued.

"Jiggly..." Her heart sank to new depths as she held the little Pokemon in her arms, inadvertently dousing him with her own tears. As scared and bewildered as she was, poor Pichu must have been several times worse.

It just... wasn't _fair_. Pichu's excitement at being invited here had been immeasurable, and now this... this... _thing_ had turned what should have been a time of wonder and joy into a waking nightmare for him. And no one could do anything about it.

... But maybe she could.

Jigglypuff looked up at the light again. It seemed to have gotten brighter all of a sudden. She didn't have much time. She might not be able to save Pichu, but... there _was_ something she could do for him.

She sniffed and brushed away her tears before hugging the shivering Pichu closer. Then, she squeezed her eyes shut and took a deep breath.

 ** _JIGGLYPUFF used SING._**

 ** _Ally PICHU is fast asleep._**


	4. Killsteal (Ridley)

He'd been waiting for this moment. For years - nay, _decades_ \- it had been his ambition, his drive. Through more defeats than he cared to count, through having his body destroyed and rebuilt and cloned and infested and regenerated, _this_ moment had beckoned him, and he had pursued it relentlessly to this day.

From his place hovering over the battlefield, his keen eyes allowed him to witness every detail: the guided beams of light like the homing missiles he detested so much, the way they engulfed the incoming plasma shots, the briefest moment of fearful uncertainty before one of the beams hit home, dissolving its target to dust.

At long last, his crusade had come to an end. Samus Aran was _dead_.

... But...

Ridley snorted and made an agitated noise in his throat. His arch-nemesis had just been disintegrated before his very eyes. This was exactly what he'd wanted, wasn't it? The one who'd slipped through his claws as a child, the one opponent he could never seem to get the better of despite everything, killed in such an undoubtedly painful way - it had been the kind of thing he'd been craving above all else since the first time they'd fought.

So why didn't he feel any satisfaction?! This was his moment of triumph! He should be shouting his victory to the skies, terrorizing the galaxy in celebration of his victory like he'd planned to do once this time came! Why, then, now that the moment had finally come, could he not muster the will to even gloat about it?!

Was it the way it had happened? The enemy who had given him so much trouble, wiped out of the galaxy like so much chaff... If it had succeeded so effortlessly where he had failed so many times before, what might one of these beams of light do to him?

... No, that was an absurd line of reasoning. He was unmatched in flight; he would just have to be careful to evade the beams. That _couldn't_ be all there was to his dissatisfaction.

Then was it because Ridley had wanted that much to be the one to end Samus? He wouldn't deny, he _had_ been looking forward to rending her with his own teeth and claws. It had been his sole reason for ever appearing at these pointless tournaments.

He'd gotten the chance to end their feud a couple of times before, but she'd had allies with her each time, and their combined strength was always too much for him. By entering the tournament as a fighter, he'd hoped for the chance to settle his score with her once and for all, without interference. However, the very laws of how this place worked had stripped him of much of his power upon entry, and no one could do any lasting damage to anyone. He could hurt Samus, sure, but he couldn't finish the job. And then this nameless _thing_ had appeared from nowhere and stolen the privilege away from him while he was so handicapped...

Ridley gave a low growl that quickly grew into an ear-splitting, bone-chilling screech. So, this creature of light had denied him the carnage he'd so striven for for so long, had it? That was all well and good. Now he would just have to make it pay for such an insult... _and he would take it_ **_with interest!_**

In an instant, the space dragon was speeding right for the source of the beams. He opted to barrel-roll around Falco's Arwing as it fled, rather than blasting his way through it. He continued weaving through the sky, looping and diving and dodging and evading every beam that came his way. All the while, he started to build up plasma in his mouth. This wasn't a tournament battle; for now, he wasn't bound by its rules. He didn't need any help with sustaining flight, or with priming his most potent attack.

One last wing roll out of the way of an incoming beam, and he was ready. There was another coming straight for him; it didn't matter. His wings drove him forward, his maw parted, and with a roar, he unleashed a Plasma Scream.

He was the scourge of the galaxy; he was death incarnate; even if he somehow lost this fight, he would return, like he always did, and exact revenge. No matter how long it would take, no matter how many defeats he would have to go through, he wouldn't rest until he had the creature of light speared to his tail, bathed in plasma, and sent off to join Samus in her early grave!


End file.
